Indiana mountain bikers have an extraordinary local spot for their sport.

Where river and off-road meet

One of the best venues in the Indianapolis area for off-road riding is preserved and protected as Town Run Trail Park.

Located on the far north side of Marion County, Town Run is on the west side of White River immediately south of 96th Street. There is trailhead parking at 96th Street for cyclists arriving at Town Run by car, and Carmel's excellent Hazel Dell Parkway / Greenway terminates only a couple hundred yards from the park entrance. The town of Fishers is also planning a park and greenway network that will connect all the way to 96th Street on the east side of White River. Town Run is shaping up to be a regional amenity.

Volunteers fill key role

The nearly nine miles of singletrack dirt trails in Town Run have been developed by the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association, a local club that donates labor and materials to build and maintain the trails. Central Indiana cyclists owe HMBA members a debt of gratitude for their spontaneous efforts.

Natural area will remain natural

Town Run Trail Park is exclusively for nonmotorized use. Some improvements will be added to the park over time, but the vision is to leave it very close to its primitive, natural and beautiful state. Operational hours are dawn to dusk. Most experienced mountain bikers rate Town Run's trails as beginner-to-intermediate difficulty, but the occasional spill is not at all unusual. As long as nothing worse than bruises result, crashing may even be a badge of honor?

Easements for Town Run Trail Park were generously donated by Martin-Marietta Aggregates and R.N. Thompson Development Corporation. Indy Parks also purchased an easement for the southern portion of Town Run from Mr. Oliver Blair Daugherty.

Download a printer-friendly trail map in PDF format (1.6mb).